Who of you would choose Zeiss over Leica?

I use both; the Leitz lenses for rangefinder photography and the Zeiss lenses for SLR photography. Both brands are first class, and both families of lenses are wonderful to use and enjoy. My Zeiss lenses are mainly for my Rolleiflex SLR cameras, and I have them in my Rolleiflex TLR cameras too. I guess I own one Zeiss Sonnar lens in LTM, but that's pretty much it for me. It would be a waste of money for me to sell my Leitz lenses and buy Zeiss lenses now.


I also love my Canon rangefinder equipment and also the Canon FD line of cameras and lenses.
Just use what you have and try to enjoy taking/making good photos.

Raid
 
Last edited:
Leica and Carl Zeiss, both legendary companies (not just brands) with more experience, more know-how, more innovation than any other lens-maker on this planet.
But be careful, when you want to have real, legendary, Leica or Zeiss-quality you have to pay for it, they can't do magic and make better lenses for less money...
Carl Zeiss-lenses are (and never were) cheaper than Leica-lenses! Even at these prices Leica hardly makes profit from those lenses. Zeiss just tries to sell it's legendary name (and a little bit know-how) to achieve higher prices for cosina-products (Leica makes the same with the rebadged Panasonic-camera, they're cheaper, but they don't have a better value).
You want good lenses and you are not willing to pay that much for it? Go with Cosina, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus - some are really good!

You want the best quality you can get for your money? Get Leica and Zeiss - but remember: only two lenses in the ZI-system are really Zeiss: the 15 and the 85.
Of course Zeiss says that there isn't a difference... Ask them why the most complex designs are not made by cosina, why aren't they making cinematography-lenses or telescopes, too?
You get what you pay for. Both companies deliver unique quality, you prefer the look&feel of one lens? Take it, wheter it is made by Leica or Zeiss, it doesn't really matter, they're both in the same league.
 
ash,
i believe, eceryone is talking about glass, because that is the more interesting part of it.
as for the bodies ... finally they are just light tight boxes holding the film/sensor at the right place, no? no reason to bang your head.

anyway, my recommendation will always be: the body pleasing your hands most is the right one.

🙂
sebastian
 
Sebastian, that was why I started the thread.

I wanted to find what people prefer HANDLING, the Zeiss bodies, or the Leica bodies. That is more interesting to me than the same old glass talk 🙂
 
FrankS said:
My Ford can beat your Chevy anyday! 😉
Click to expand...

Ford pick-ups down here are made with hand warmers in the tail gates now. This is to keep your hands warm in the winter time when you are pushing them because they wouldn't start.

Oh yeah, I use Contax and Leica and Canon and Graflex and Koni-Omega and Konica and Yashica and Olympus and Rollie and Minolta and Nikon and................ I guess I am just a Camera Slut because I like them all.

Wayne
 
Okay, if you don't like the Ford/Chevy analogy, let's talk PC/Mac!

My point is: different strokes for different folks. Use what works and feels good for you. There is no right/wrong here.
 
Flyfisher Tom said:
Both make excellent products, no reason to let brand name rule, let your needs dictate which body or lens make more sense.
Click to expand...

I always say it is the camera you have that is the best in the world! 😀

[After all, it is really about the pictures, isn't it? 🙂]
 
FrankS said:
Okay, if you don't like the Ford/Chevy analogy, let's talk PC/Mac!

My point is: different strokes for different folks. Use what works and feels good for you. There is no right/wrong here.
Click to expand...

Aaargh! DOn't do a PC/Mac thing here!!! ARGH!!! 😀

Yup - and both Leica and ZI are capable of producing excellent photographs in the hands of a good photographer - so whatever your budget and inclination dicatate is what you need to go with!

(After all, some of our best pictures were taken with an Olympus XA! 😱)
 
When I made this decision a new Zeiss camera and a nice example of a used M6 cost about the same. While I could purchase a new Leica, I felt spending that much money was imprudent.

I chose the ZI because.

o I liked the idea of owning a new camera rather than a used one (purely subjective)

o The ZI has a faster shutter. (a matter of subjective prioritization )

o People I respect (like Hicks/Schultz) felt the ZI finder was as good as the M6 and may even be better (risky because I was not able to compare them for myself, another subjective decision)

o I could get a bit of a price break by buying a new ZI M lense and the camera as a package. I could not afford a new Summicron and I did want at least 1 new lens. (subjective)

o Anecdotal evidence (this forum and others) along with the Hicks/Schultz review indicated that while ZI outsources manufacturing to Cosina, ZI did in fact design the camera and proactively participates in quality control. In other words – I would get what I paid for. (risky and subjective, why should I trust ZI ?and the positive-experience sample size was small)

o As a new rangefinder user, bottom loading seemed like a quaint, but pointless, tradition.

A modern well-made hinged back camera and a bottom-loading camera should have film planes with the same degree of flatness. (purely subjective yet again, because I did nor test how flat both film planes actually are) However, I shoot available light with my RF cameras 100% of the time. I use a tripod well less than 10% of the time. I shoot Tri-X or ISO 800 negative film most of the time. A film plane that may be 1% flatter is not the first thing I worry about when it comes to image quality. (conclusions based on my subjective preferences about how to make photographs).

But, should my ZI fall off the back of a truck bouncing along a dirt road, I know it's hinged-back construction is more vulnerable to film-plane distortion than the M6. (a subjective trade off)



For these reasons I bought the ZI. I know my decision has significant subjective components. I feel those who make the opposite decision simply have different prior knowledge and different priorities.

I am just thankful all of us get to choose.


willie

ps I carry my ZI with me at all times. I feel my money was well spent. If the camera were stolen, lost or actually falls of the back of a truck (YIKES), I would buy the ZI again.
 
Last edited:
I have a Leica body with Zeiss lenses. I went with the M6 TTL body because the Ikon was newly released and there was nowhere nearby where I could actually handle one. On the other hand my local stores had the M6 used in stock so I got to play with the camera in store. Also the M6 already had a pretty good track record as far as reliability goes. If I had handled the ikon I may have gone a different way. Come to think of it i still haven't seen an Ikon "in the flesh".
The lenses were a different story, I was all set to go with a used Summicron 50mm when the ZM Planar was released - I went with the Planar based solely on reports of handling and the images produced - go figure.
I have zero regrets about either decision by the way.
Cheers,
Nick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

peterm1
Who is your favorite photographer in history - who has influenced you the most?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
2K
mconnealy
mconnealy
Rob-F
AI is helping me decide whether to buy a Leica M10!
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
2K
Rob-F
Rob-F
J
  • Article Article
The Leica as a work of ART: Selling the image of elegant exclusivity
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
Pioneer
Pioneer
J
  • Article Article
Scale-focusing full frame 35s: A cherished bygone breed. Part 1Simple, ubiquitous, and charming, they flourished for over a century!
2
Replies
24
Views
2K
ChrisPlatt
ChrisPlatt
J
  • Article Article
Who invented the Leica M3 and IIIg? Two great men at Leitz Wetzlar! Both projects were team efforts led by innovative engineering geniuses.
Replies
13
Views
802
Ljós
L
Back
Top Bottom